Carry on my Wayward Son
by Jadelyn Tate
Summary: When an accident sends Wes to the future, he has a chance to meet the man his future son will become. COMPLETE


**Author:** Jadelyn Tate  
**Story:** Carry on My Wayward Son  
**Characters:** Wes, Sky  
**Disclaimer:** I own no one  
**Summery:** ONE SHOT When an accident sends Wes to the future, he has a chance to meet the man his future son will become.  
**Author Notes: **I know that according to Disney, Wes is not Sky's father. I don't particularly care. In this fic, he is.

* * *

Wes wasn't entirely sure what had happened. One moment he was fighting a mutant with his team, the next he was demorphed and on top of a guy in a white shirt in an unfamiliar park. Scrambling to his feet, apologizing as he went, he took the time to inspect the guy as he got up.

His dreadlocks were short, his face handsome. Laugh lines around his mouth and eyes indicated a laid back guy who liked to laugh. He was fit and seemed to be in good health. He was also staring at Wes in absolute shock.

"Wha—how…you're supposed to be dead!" he blurted out, looking thunderstruck. Wes blinked as feelings of déjà vu came to him.

"I can assure you I'm not dead but…" he trailed off as the guy grabbed his wrist and stared at the morpher in surprise. He dropped his hand suddenly, looking embarrassed.

"What year is it?" he asked Wes. Wes paused, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"2001," he replied and the guy groaned.

"You time traveled," he informed Wes, wiping a hand over his face. He began muttering something about the sky before stopping, as if he had just realized something.

"I'm Jack Landors," he introduced himself, holding out a hand. "Former Red SPD Ranger."

Wes grabbed the guy's hand. He was still half in shock he'd time traveled without Time Force aid, and half relieved he'd landed on a former ranger. If anyone could get him home, it'd probably be a ranger.

"Let's go," he said, and then hesitated. Finally, he dug in a box Wes realized he must have been carrying and pulled out a red hoodie.

"Look, I'll explain better once we get to Doggie, but it'd be better if no one saw your face," he said, shifting from foot to foot, holding out the sweater. Wes nodded, remembering that he was apparently dead in this time, and grabbed it. He'd seen the issues Jen had gone through when the supposedly dead Alex had shown up and he would rather not put anyone in that position himself.

"So, what year is it?" Wes asked as Jack picked up the box and began leading him through the park. Jack hesitated.

"2027," he finally replied. Wes stopped walking and stared at Jack.

"That's means I died…" he trailed off and Jack gave him a sympathetic smile.

"If it makes you feel any better, you didn't die during your time fighting Ransik," he offered and Wes nodded. The two began walking again, Wes running the information through his head. The earth apparently had changed in the past twenty odd years. Everywhere he looked, humans interacted with beings who were decidedly not evil. He refused to do anything, however his mind screamed at him, since Jack didn't find it odd.

"What are they?" he asked finally as a giant building shaped like a dog appeared. Jack appeared confused for a second before he seemed to understand.

"Earth was opened for alien immigration about fifteen years ago," he told him with a small smile. "SPD is the police force that deals with the alien miscreants while the regular police offices deal with humans."

"So Rangers are police force now?" Wes asked, not entirely surprised. After all, that was essentially what Time Force was, wasn't it?

Jack nodded. "We have offices on every continent but rangers are still headquartered here in New Tech," he told him. "California changed its state slogan to 'The Ranger State' a few years ago when the United Nations and the United Alliance declared that Ranger teams would be confined to California."

Wes nodded, looking pensive as they entered the building. "Why is the building shaped like a dog?" he asked quietly, taking in the numerous personnel walking around.

"Its in honor of the deceased of the planet Sirius," Jack whispered back. "The Commander is the last living Sirian; an evil Emperor destroyed his planet before getting defeated by my old team here."

"Sirius?" he asked as a girl in a pink stripped uniform saw Jack and shrieked.

"Planet where all the inhabitants looked like walking dogs," he replied as the blonde crashed into him.

"Jack what are you doing here? Is everything okay? How's Ally? How's Piggy?" she babbled and Jack grinned.

"To talk to Cruger, its good, fine, still stinks," he rattled off easily. The woman grinned, glancing at Wes. Wes turned his head down, not wanting his face seen.

"This is a friend who's in a bit of a spot and I need to talk to Cruger about it," Jack told the woman. "I'll stop by B commons once I'm done."

"Sky, Bridge, and Z would love to see you," the woman told her.

"I want to see them too, Syd," he replied. Wes shifted, feeling a bit uncomfortable though he wasn't sure why.

"Listen, will you do me a favor?" Jack asked suddenly.

"Sure, what is it?" Syd asked worriedly.

"Keep Sky out of the Command Center for a while? Trust me when I say it'd be better for everyone involved," Jack told her. Wes looked up slightly, a frown on his face, and saw that Sydney appeared confused and a bit worried while Jack looked nervous.

"…Okay..." Syd replied uneasily and Jack shot her a grin.

"Thanks Syd, you're the best!" he told her brightly before grabbing Wes' arm and leading him away.

"Sky?" Wes asked once they were on a lift. Jack grimaced a bit.

"Not till we get to Doggie's office," he told him stiffly. Wes hesitated but finally nodded. Obviously Jack didn't want to talk about it in public so Wes would respect that; but only for now.

"Hey Doggie!" Jack called out once they entered a high tech hub of activity. Wes kept his face hidden as he looked around curiously. Various humans and aliens worked at various terminals, including a woman who reminded Wes of a cat. He turned and felt a bit of a jolt at the sight of the six feet tall dog standing beside Jack, listening to Jack mutter. Wes knew the moment he learned of Wes' appearance as his eyes got wide and his jaw (muzzle?) opened a bit. Without a word, he motioned for a door and grabbed the cat-woman's arm. Soon, the four were firmly enconsned in the office. A few quick buttons and a shimmery blue force field covered the walls.

"Let's get a look at you," the commander said, turning to Wes. Wes glanced at Jack who nodded. Wes turned down the hoodie.

"Oh my," the woman murmured, moving to sit down. Wes frowned a bit but didn't comment.

"Kat, that's Dr. Kat Manx, worked with you for over eight years before you, uh, died," Jack offered and Wes nodded, looking at the woman in a new light. She smiled at him then and Wes found himself smiling back.

"You used to buy me Earth cat food every April Fools," she told him, her eyes misty. Wes outright grinned at that, since that was something he could see himself doing. Jack was frowning.

"Is that why Sky goes and buys you a bag every year on April first?" he asked, surprised, and Kat nodded as her face fell. Doggie huffed a bit and everyone turned to him.

"How did you get here, Collins?" he asked and Wes told him everything he knew. The Commander and Kat were nodding at the end.

"You told us about this once," Kat informed him, smiling. "Said you'd accidentally traveled to the future once and told Doggie and I that Gruumm would be defeated."

Jack looked at the two in surprise. "How come you never told us?" he asked and Doggie gave what looked like a shrug.

"We didn't want you five getting cocky if you knew you would defeat Gruumm's forces," he told him and Jack nodded in agreement.

"Between Sky and I, we were cocky enough," he agreed with a small grin. Doggie huffed but Wes could see the fond amusement in the dogs' eyes.

"So how do I get back home?" Wes asked and Kat smiled.

"According to what you told me, Alex should be arriving tomorrow and will take you back to your time then," she told him and Wes nodded, not particularly happy about it. Jack looked confused but didn't ask.

"So what do I do till then?" the time force ranger asked.

"He should see Sky," Kat said. Both Doggie and Jack looked at her incredlously.

"Are you insane?!" Jack snapped. "How do you think Sky will react to seeing him?"

"Kat…" Doggie trailed off at the glare she sent at them both.

"Sky deserves to know," she informed them, a small hiss in her voice. "Do you remember what happened when we didn't tell him about Mirloc?"

"Oh," Jack realized, a look of pain on his face as he apparently thought back to it.

"Yes, 'oh'," Kat said and turned to Doggie. "If you or I had the chance to see our family from Sirius or Feli, you know we'd want to."

Doggie didn't reply but from the look in his eyes, Wes knew he had agreed.

"Uh, question," Wes said, holding up a hand. They turned to him. "Who's Sky?"

"Current B Squad Red Ranger, Former B Squad Blue Ranger under me, and your son," Jack replied without question. Wes dropped his hand, shock on his face.

"Oh."

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Jack to head out with Kat. Kat would be telling the rest of his son's team while Jack went to find his son.

"My son," Wes muttered as he sat in Doggie's office. He was still trying to wrap his mind around that. He had a _son_. A son who had been both blue _and_ red ranger. Wes grinned a bit in pride at that thought.

"Sky has been an exemplary ranger," Doggie said suddenly, and Wes turned to him. He was eager for information on his son.

"He had trouble at first, but he has grown into someone I know I can trust SPD to," Doggie told him.

"What kind of trouble?" he asked, frowning. Doggie huffed.

"Sky seemed to think he had to be red ranger like you and was very upset and angry when I gave him blue," Doggie told him. Wes frowned, not liking the sound of that. "I gave him blue after I asked him whether or not he would follow Sydney as leader of B Squad."

"What did he say?" he asked, cringing a bit inside.

"He instigated that due to Sydney being a girl, she could not lead and he would not follow her due to her gender," Doggie replied and Wes winced.

"Damn," he muttered.

"Do not think ill of your son, Wesley," Doggie said after a pause. "He has grown from that and has on many occasions had both his female teammates lead the squad in raids and battles."

Wes smiled slightly, though inwardly he was cringing at what Jen would say if she discovered what his son had instigated.

"Sir, Jack said you needed to speak to me," a voice said from the doorway. Wes had put the hoodie up when Jack had left, wanting to surprise his boy. Now he could feel the weight of his son's stare.

"I'll leave you two then," Doggie said and Wes could feel him leave the office and the force field go up again. Silently thankful for the dog's departure, Wes took a deep breath and stood up, pulling down the hoodie as he did so. Finally standing, he saw the shock on his son's face.

"Hi," he whispered, his face unreadable. "I apparently had an accident and traveled to the future."

Sky was his height with the same dirty blonde hair, though his was a bit darker. His eyes, too, were the same shade of blue. He was tanner than Wes, but he figure that was due to spending a lot more time out of doors. He was wearing the same kind of uniform Sydney had, minus the skirt and with red lining rather than pink. He was also staring at him in utter shock.

"You're…" Sky began but then cut himself off. Wes nevertheless understood.

"I haven't had you yet," he agreed. "In fact, Jen is probably going to kill me once I get back."

"You're still fighting Ransik?" he asked, his voice a bit sharp. Wes nodded, looking amused.

"How'd you get here?" Sky asked. Wes shrugged.

"No clue; one moment I'm yelling at Trip to get out of the way, next think I know I was landing on your friend Jack in the middle of the park," he replied with a nervous grin. "Talk about getting hit with the past."

His joke brought a small smile to his son's face. "You landed on Jack?" he asked, his voice tinged in amusement. Wes nodded.

"How long are you here for?"

Sky's sudden question caught Wes off guard a bit and he struggled. "I think Kat said something about Alex picking me up and taking me back tomorrow," he finally answered. Sky nodded, looking a bit disappointed.

"We still have all night though," Wes offered and Sky looked at him sharply. "I want to get to know you, if that's okay,"

Sky hesitated a moment before nodding with a guarded look. Wes smiled a bit. "You were half raised by Eric, weren't you?"

Sky seemed a bit surprised as he nodded. "How'd you know?" he asked curiously. Wes smirked.

"You seem to have picked up some of his habits," he replied and Sky smirked in reply. _Oh yeah, definitely corrupted by Eric._

Wes couldn't decide how he felt about the fact Eric had taken Sky under his wing with Wes' death. On one hand, he knew that meant they had became friends again; on the other hand, it was odd since as far as he knew, Eric had just only formed a bit of a alliance with the rest of the team.

The door opening brought Wes from his thoughts.

"Wes!" A voice yelled before Wes found his arms filled with a two hundred pound young man in a blue stripped uniform. Wes blinked down at the boy before looking at Sky. His son had an expression mixed between amusement and exasperation though there was a fondness there too. Wes looked down at the young man.

"Uh…" he said, at a lost for words. The guy looked up, grinning.

"I'm Bridge!" he introduced himself and Wes blinked.

"…nice to meet you…" he replied as Bridge moved back. Sky finally took pity on him.

"You're Bridge's godfather in the future," he explained, a small smile on his face. Bridge nodded a contrite look on his face.

"Sorry, Kat said you're from before I was born so I shouldn't have assumed you'd know me but I was so excited to see you alive and you taught me how to be a kid when my parents divorced when I was a four and I just really really missed you," he said breathlessly. Wes' lips twitched as he was reminded forcefully of Trip.

"Bridgey, stop hugging him," an amused voice said. Wes looked up and saw the girl from earlier, Sydney, standing in the doorway with Jack and another girl, this one a Hispanic woman in yellow. Behind them was Doggie and Kat.

"The cadets have been informed that due to an accident, you will be here for a night," Doggie told him. "They've been ordered not to say anything and to leave you in peace but I can't guarantee they'll listen."

"You're a bit of a hero," Sydney offered and Wes nodded, a bit overwhelmed.

"This is my team," Sky interjected, motioning to the group. "Bridge Carson, Sydney Drew, and Z Delgado. Our green ranger, Sophie, is…where is Sophie?"

"She's with Boom," the yellow ranger told him with a small smile. "They wanted to give you and Bridge time with your dad and Sophie said something about working on a new program while they have the downtime."

Sky nodded, a familiar look in his eyes that had Wes smirking. "Hungry?" he asked, turning back to Wes. Wes nodded as Bridge finally let go of his middle.

"Why don't you and Mr. Collins go to the commons and Syd, Bridge, Jack, and I will go get food," Z suggested and Sky nodded.

"Sounds good to me," he agreed. Bridge shot Wes another quick smile before leaving with the other rangers and Jack. Cruger turned to the two.

"I called Linda," he told Sky and he froze.

"What did she say?" he asked, guarded. Wes frowned.

"She said to have fun with your father and she and Michael will want to hear all about it later," Doggie replied and Sky relaxed. "She also said she's calling Eric and to expect him tonight."

Wes grimaced slightly while Sky nodded. "Figured she would," Sky said. The two left the office, Wes still in the hoodie.

"Linda is your mother?" Wes asked, having figure it out. Sky nodded, a small smile on his face as several teens and adults did double-takes as they passed.

"She remarried Bridge's dad when I was twelve and Bridge was ten," he told him. "And Bridge's mom ended up married to Eric by accident when Bridge was seven."

Wes frowned. "How does one end up married on accident?" he asked dubiously and Sky smirked.

"They were in Vegas and got drunk," he shrugged. Wes' eyes crinkled into an amused grin. "Eric insisted on being the gentleman, whether Joan wanted it or not and they're still married."

"So Eric is Bridge's step-father?" Wes asked, amused at the idea of Eric taking care of a kid who reminded Wes of Trip. Remembering recent events with Alice and Trip and the not-evil monster and he realized it wasn't as far-fetched as he'd thought. Eric, despite his tough demeanor, seemed to have a soft spot for troubled and innocent kids.

Sky nodded. "Mom, Michael, Joan, and Eric live across the street from each other in Silver Hills," he told him. "When I retire, I'll inherit the mansion but mom refused to live there after you died."

Wes nodded, not particularly blaming the woman. _He_ hadn't wanted to stay there when his mother died and since the mansion had been where Wes grew up…the memories were probably too strong for her.

"Your mother is a good woman?" he asked and Sky snickered.

"Eric once described her as a scary mix of Jen, Katie, Taylor, Alyssa, Dana, and Kelsey," he said and Wes chuckled. "But yeah, mom's awesome."

"Good," Wes said, thankful his son had the woman even if he didn't know her. _Yet_.

"It was hard at first, especially with the media hounding us," Sky admitted. "But Michael, Joan, and Eric helped a lot."

"Sky, I'm sorry," Wes said, feeling the need. Sky didn't reply as he walked through a door. Inside, the other members of Sky's team had already cleared it out and were waiting with the food.

"Let's eat!" Bridge called but Wes was distracted by a familiar person leaning against a wall.

"How'd you get here to quickly?" Sky asked, looking annoyed.

"Hey Eric," Wes said, looking nervous. Eric moved then, straightening, an easy smile on his face.

"You're father told me this would happen," he told Sky and Sky frowned. "Told me the date and everything."

"Father!" Bridge yelped, having just noticed his step-father. Wes raised an eyebrow at the name as Eric slid a bemused gaze at the blue ranger.

"Your mother said to eat your veggies," he informed him and Bridge wrinkled a nose.

"Great," he muttered, looking dejected. Eric's lips twitched.

"However, she never said what kind of veggies you had to eat," he added, tossing the blue ranger a bag. Bridge peaked in and then grinned at him.

"Thanks Father," he chirped, opening the bag to show Syd, Z, and Jack the contents. Wes turned to Eric.

"Father?" he asked, slightly amused and slightly shocked.

"He was seven when I married his mom," Eric shrugged. "He started calling me Father when he was eight."

"My dad is Dad while my step is Father," Bridge explained as he held munched on what looked like sugar cover pink brocolli. Wes decided not to ask.

"It's…good to see you," he told Eric and was surprised to note that he meant it. A familiar face and all that, he supposed. Eric smiled slightly.

"You too," Eric said, coming forward. Everyone stopped moving as they watched Eric engulf the startled red ranger in his hug. Wes hugged him back, slightly perplexed.

Finally, Eric released him and left without a word, the door closing behind him. Wes frowned but knew it was just Eric's way. Sky moved to the chair and Wes joined him and his team.

A sudden beep caught Wes' attention as all five of the teens froze. Sky looked murderously down at a device clipped at his belt before pulling it out reluctantly.

"Sky here," he said into it.

"I hate to do this Sky, but a monster is attacking the Galleria strip mall," Kat's voice came. "Sophie is already on her way."

Sky scowled but nodded. "We're on it," he said as Bridge, Z, and Syd got up and moved with him. Wes smiled at him knowingly.

"I'll be here when you get back," he promised and Sky nodded. With a quick shout, the four were morphed and running. Wes turned to Jack who motioned for him to follow. Jack led the way back to the Command Center where kat and Doggie were watching the green ranger battle a monster as the rest of the squad joined him. The sounds of battle filled the air as Wes and Jack watched.

"It's hard to watch," Jack murmured painfully. "Z's my sister and Sky, Bridge, and Syd are my family."

Wes winced as Sky got hit hard. "I agree," he said as Z ran to Sky's aid. Wes felt a tingling in his arm and he looked down in surprise. His morpher was making noises at him as it lit up. He looked at the screen again and nearly had a heart attack.

"I know that monster!" He said, shocked. "It's the mutant I was fighting when I got sent here!"

"It is?" Kat asked, surprised as she pressed a few buttons. Wes moved forward and nodded.

"Yeah, that's definitely him," he said, studying the mutant. "Circuit said he had the power to manipulate energies but multiple powers used in tandem could confuse him."

"All of B Squad's energies are the same," Kat told them. Jack frowned.

"Sir, I respectfully request Charlie's morpher," he said, facing Doggie. Doggie nodded at Kat who opened up a panel to reveal another SPD morpher.

"A Squad's energy is different from B-Squads but not by much," she said, handing the device to Jack. He shrugged.

"Hopefully this will work," Jack said, moving back and morphing. Wes set his face and turned to Doggie and Kat.

"I'm going to help," he told them, not giving them time to argue as he quickly moved back and morphed. Jack, who hadn't left, nodded at him. Doggie sighed and motioned for the two to leave.

Within minutes the two were watching the fight from the sidelines. A feeling static filled his helmet for a second before he heard Kat speaking.

"Wes, you can talk to Jack, Sky, and B-Squad through your helmet," she informed him and Wes nodded.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the mutant send a ball of energy towards Sky. With a quick jump, he moved in front of his son and, using his sword, deflected the energy. The mutant roared but was unable to retaliate due to the girls attacking him from behind.

"Dad?!" Sky asked incredulously and Wes smiled behind his helmet. That was the first time he'd called him dad.

"The mutant is the one who brought me here," he explained. "He manipulates energies but different forms of energy can confuse him."

"Right!" he said, moving forward. "Jack, Dad, everyone, fire on my signal!"

Wes moved into position next to his son as Jack moved to Sky's other side, the green, blue, yellow, and pink rangers beside Jack. He heard the mutant recognize him but didn't pay attention; he was too focused on how well his son was leading, fighting, being a ranger. Pride filled his chest followed quickly by surprise when another familiar red uniform dropped down beside him.

"You think you're doing this without me?" Eric asked from behind his helmet and Wes grinned.

"Fire!" Sky yelled and the eight rangers, four of them in different red uniforms, fired at the mutant.

"Oh crap," the mutant muttered before falling to the ground and exploding. Wes snickered as he turned to Sky.

"Well done, son," Wes told Sky as they all demorphed. Bridge moved to his stepfather, Wes, and Sky as Z, Syd, and another girl who had to be Sophie surrounded Jack. Sky smiled brilliantly up at him.

"Thanks dad."

* * *

Wes had learned a few things on his impromptu trip to the future. As he stood in the shuttle bay, Alex standing next to him as every officer, cadet, an SPD employee stood in respectful attention, Wes noted them in his head.

His son was an insane blend of himself and Eric. While Sky seemed to have inherited most of Wes' looks and intelligence, he was very snarky, sarcastic, and broody like Eric. He also seemed to share both his and Eric's senses of humor which had made the dinner conversation the night before amusing to say the least.

Eric and he had apparently grown very very close over the years. And there was a LOT more to his high school friend than he had ever thought.

His son's team reminded him of his and Eric's team; Z was like a less stressed version of Jen, Sydney was like a female Lucas, Bridge was a human Trip, and Jack was like a male Katie.

From all the looks they exchanged and the knowing grins Syd, Jack, and Bridge kept throwing them, Sky and Z had to be dating. And the irony was not lost on Wes that his son was dating a woman who reminded him of Jen.

He was very proud of who his son was. Responsible, sarcastic, intelligent, physically fit, dedicated, and friendly, he was the kind of man Wes could befriend.

"So, shall we go?" Alex asked softly. Wes glanced at him before nodding.

"Give me a minute, first?" he asked and Alex nodded, a knowing smile on his familiar features. Wes moved forward and said goodbye to Doggie, Kat, Syd, Sophie, and Z. he faced Jack and grinned.

"Thanks Jack," he told him and the Jack grinned. He was dressed in a new SPD uniform, having been offered a part time civilian position in the community service office. He could still help the less fortunate, but he had more help now.

"No problem, sir," Jack grinned at him. Wes chuckled and moved to Bridge. Bridge stared at him a moment before pouncing on him, wrapping him in a hug. Wes chuckled and hugged him back.

"It was good to meet you Bridge," he whispered and Bridge nodded as he moved back in line. Wes smiled wryly and turned to Eric, who was standing in his Silver Guardians uniform next to his step-son.

"You and I are friends, then?" he asked and Eric shook his head.

"We're not friends, Wes," he told him, completely serious. Wes frowned and Eric smirked. "We're brothers."

Wes chuckled and moved forward to hug him. They both stepped back at the same time and simply smiled at each other. He moved down to the last person and swallowed as he stared at his son.

"I am so proud of you," Wes said thickly. Sky swallowed deeply, his eyes misty as he stared at him. "You are the man I always wanted my son to be."

"I wanted to make you proud," he whispered and Wes grinned.

"You have son," he said, moving forward and engulfing Sky in a strong embrace. Sky clung to him.

"I miss you so much," he whispered and Wes felt his eyes fill with tears.

"I'm so sorry I left you," he told him and Sky nodded into his neck.

"I know," he replied.

"By the way, Sky," Wes said, his voice soft and amused as he and Sky let go of one another. "I approve of Elizabeth."

Wes and Eric both laughed at Sky's flabbergasted and embarrassed expression. Sky and Wes glanced down the line at the yellow ranger who stared back at them apprehensively. Wes nodded in approval at her and she smiled slightly.

"She reminds me of Jen," he said, turning back to Sky. Eric snorted from beside his son and Wes grinned. "That's a good thing."

Sky smiled slightly and nodded. Wes leaned forward and hugged Sky once more

"Bye Dad," Sky whispered and Wes took a deep breath.

"Good bye Sky," he replied before turning to Alex and the waiting time ship. The two time force rangers stared at the assembled cadets as they all went to attention, arms across there chests in salute. Wes smiled, staring at everyone before his gaze came to rest on his son. He nodded at him and Sky smiled back.

Wes and Alex disappeared in a shower of sparks before reappearing in the time force window. As Alex moved to start the ship up, Wes stared down at his son.

"Good luck Sky."

* * *

**End Notes: **This is a oneshot and will not be continued. : D


End file.
